500 Startups is excited to announce the latest batch from our Seed Accelerator based in Mexico City. The Mexico City program focuses on providing a mentorship program for Spanish-speaking early-stage companies based in Latin America. Our latest batch consists of founders from all over Latin America including 6 companies from Mexico, 2 from Chile, 2 from Colombia, and 1 from Argentina. The 11 startups began the accelerator activities on April 22nd at 500’s office in Mexico City. The 16-week intensive Seed Program will focus on legal, product, sales, growth, culture, fundraising, and more, in order to prepare the companies for the culminating Demo Day taking place in Mexico City on August 7th. Batch 10’s startups will continue to put in …

Its been one week since the Misk 500 Batch 1 Demo Day and we’re still smiling. The energy in the room in Riyadh, on May 13th, was palpable. The 19 companies were on FIRE and rose to the occasion to give the best versions of their pitches. Due to the observance of Ramadan in the region, the event began at 10 PM and concluded at 3 AM. While originally planned to be an event for an audience of 200, the final attendance at the KAFD Conference Center included over 300 investors and guests.¹ Also in attendance were representatives of both local and international media to cover this groundbreaking collaboration between 500 and Misk Innovation. The last two hours of the …

Image Gallery: 500 Startups Unity + Inclusion Miami 500 recently hosted another hugely successful Unity + Inclusion Summit in Miami on Thursday, March 7th, where over 200 entrepreneurs, investors, and members of the tech community gathered to address the state of diversity and inclusion in tech. Our southeastern hub, 500 Miami, continues to lead the charge in developing an innovation-focused ecosystem designed to inspire and empower entrepreneurship, increase employment, and boost the local economy. The Unity + Inclusion Summit is just one more program that 500 was thrilled to bring to the bustling startup environment in South Florida. Visit our website or more workshops and founder-focused programming in Miami. Industry Leaders Abound Our latest Unity + Inclusion boasted an impressive array of thought …

In 2015, I wrote a LinkedIn post about “Investing in Women” and a new investor training program we were launching at 500 Startups. “The Investor’s Guide to Silicon Valley Investing” (IGSVI) was just a pilot program but it immediately resonated in our community. It’s been so amazing to watch early participants like Arlan Hamilton, Pocket Sun and Elizabeth Galbut embody our program’s values, and redefine our industry in the process. A lot has happened in the venture world since that first program. The artist formerly known as IGSVI eventually grew up, got a little (just a little) more serious, and became VC Unlocked, the series of investor education programs we run around the world. Today, as we launch the recruitment period …

It’s going to be quite busy this year in the MENA region! In line with our objective to help develop the regional ecosystem, we are pleased to announce that we’re opening the applications for the third batch of our annual 500 Startups MENA Dojo Series A Program, in partnership with Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP). The MENA Dojo Series A Program is for startups that have reached a certain level of scale and are likely to raise a Series A in the next six to nine months. We will be bringing in a roster of mentors from our Silicon Valley and global team focused on instilling a growth mindset, growth hacking and marketing techniques. The program is one-to-one mentorship driven, which …

We told you we were excited to join the Miami heat and tech wave, and we are delivering. 500 Startups Miami is thrilled to share that its hallmark Growth Program: Road to Series A has landed in Miami. If you are, or you know, a high-potential tech startup seeking to scale up in a sustainable way, this is for you! The 10-week Road to Series A program, leveraging our global network and expertise, focuses on helping high-growth tech startups reach the next level of scalable and repeatable growth. Only 10 startups will be selected to participate in this program, with a special focus on those with operations in the South-Eastern US and Latam regions. Selected startups will get to work …

Hey there, My name is Aaron and I’m a Venture Partner here at 500 Startups. I also run the batch application squad, which is why I’m here to tell you… Applications for Batch 24 in San Francisco are now open! I know what you’re thinking: “we’ve been through this.” You’ve applied before, waited patiently, and you were told something along the lines of “Maybe-next-time.” Maybe this made you upset, or sad, or maybe you swore an oath to do whatever it takes to avenge our response. Look, I get it—putting yourself (and your startup) out there over and over again is friggin’ hard and, as always, there are no guarantees. But before you close this page, let me tell you three …

The deadliest sin for startups is arrogance. Founders often approach us convinced that they have product market fit, sales forecasts for millions in revenue, “hack proof” systems, and simple plans for hiring hundreds of “top 1%” employees, sometimes without any evidence to back it up. A startup’s survival depends on a founder’s ability to stay humble. That means keeping an open mind, asking the right questions, and verifying the answers until the data — not just blind faith — proves out your hypothesis. Don’t be afraid to seek out help, and even to use creative methods to get what you need. Everyone needs help (including us), and the winners in this game have the courage to ask. Over the last seven …

500 Startups is excited to announce our latest batch from our flagship Seed Accelerator, this time welcoming not only a new cohort of 17 companies, but also a Blockchain track! Based out of our San Francisco HQ, Batch 23 will feature three tracks: Digital Health (22%), Blockchain (17%) and FinTech (17%). Accompanying these tracks are B2B, B2C, SaaS, and e-commerce companies, ranging from AI-driven legal services to biodegradable pour-over coffee technology. Our global outlook when discovering and backing talented entrepreneurs has again, helped form a diverse cohort. 50% of the companies are based outside of the United States include founders from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Canada, Egypt, South Korea, and Lebanon. 33% are of Asian …

After two weeks of intense coursework, six guest lectures, 32 investment thesis presentations, and a mind-boggling amount of coffee, another successful VC Unlocked Program with the Stanford Center for Professional Development is officially a wrap. With over 200 applicants, this was our most competitive application process yet. We’ve covered the amazing diversity and background of the class in a previous post, but suffice to say that we had several contenders for The Most Interesting Woman (and Man) in the World. Now that we’ve had some time to catch up on some sleep (and email), we’ll recap a few of the many highlights from the latest installment of our flagship educational program. Setting the framework “Whether they’re new to angel investing …

* This website is updated as of March 6, 2019. Past investment performance does not indicate future results. All users of this website should note these important Terms of Use governing the use of this website.